Beating Heart
by Paradigm of Writing
Summary: Grimsley Kotchner is a vampire in Castelia City, out in his midnight excursions to find food when he runs into a strange photographer named Candice Massingale, who is out working on a photography job. One day, Candice visits Grimsley in a time of trouble, and he hides from her. With Candice's help, he soon realizes what true beauty he possess.


**Hey everyone, Paradigm of Writing here with a brand new Pokémon one-shot. This was just an idea I had, so I hope you enjoy it! **

* * *

><p>Running. Always running. For Grimsley Kotchner, that was the only action he knew how to do. He was always sprinting away from something in the streets of Castelia City, the only place in Unova besides Pinwheel Forest and few scattered caves that gave him protection from the sunlight. The Celestial Tower could suffice for would the place not always be filled with mourning trainers and their deceased partners. Castelia City; albeit inhabited by people and Pokémon alike, was the only place that had shade 247, and he could be somewhere that had at least for a few moments, seclusion from all human life. Only in the darkest parts of the night would he venture out into the world, and gaze at the places he had to run from during the light hours.

Night time also meant feeding time. While the moon was out, all he craved was the intoxicating, bitter taste of blood splashing his teeth. Feasting on the little Rattata's in the sewers, or the Pidove's in the trees were some of his favorite critters to snack on, but if he was lucky, a poor little Eevee got caught in between his iron jaw, or in the rarest of occasions, an occasional Volcarona. He always had one of the Fire/Bug insects on his birthday, March 25th.

Grimsley Kotchner was all Castelia City ever talked about, for he was the creature cloaked all in black. He was the dark soul who ravaged the streets of the bustling metropolitan scene, the intruder that destroyed Pokémon habitats, and the list of complaints and terrors went on for hours.

So, what was Grimsley really? What would cause an entire city of millions of people to go in uproar? What type of abomination would kill Pokémon for their blood?

Grimsley Kotchner was a vampire. He'd been one since birth.

* * *

><p>Grimsley checked his watch, gazing out at the blazing sun that was slowly sinking under Unova's skyline. In just twenty minutes, the outside would be dark enough for him to go and venture out into the streets of Castelia. The watch was not his, he had stolen it off a poor man rushing home from work. The unfortunate soul never saw it coming. Grimsley had gone in to one of his <em>episodes <em>where the blood he craved was human, and not the little monsters that were the normal meal for him. Leaping from above, the man had been knocked to the ground. Grimsley had bitten into his neck, and drained a whole pint from the male's veins. Human blood was quite an interesting taste, highly acidic; or at least that's what his superior Cynthia had told him. The watch was just an added bonus. Now, Grimsley could finally see what time it was without invading a person's home and having the danger of being caught.

Fanning his head with his hand, Grimsley looked out into the sweltering heat to see if the sun had gone down to draw out the night. He wished he hadn't, for just after a couple of seconds with his pallor corpse skin being exposed, a heating sensation burned up and down his body. If he was to stay out in the light for that much longer, he'd burst into a collection of flames that'd rage day and night until his soul finally shriveled up into nothing.

"Dammit," Grimsley cussed under his breath, recoiling back into the shadows. He rubbed his face, trying to smother the pain from spreading any further. Impatiently, he cast one more glance at the watch, the time reading 7:15 P.M. "_Oh come on you stupid sun! Go down already!_" he whined to himself.

The sun dipped below the skyline, now casting a stygian shadow over Castelia. Grimsley looked around the wall he was hiding behind, to see if there were any pedestrians who saw his own flesh burn. Coast was clear. Straightening his tie, and smoothing out the wrinkles of his midnight suit, he strolled out like any other person outside. No one cast him second glances, for during the night, unless you were really close, people didn't ask too many questions. Of course, there was always that bothersome policeman that _never _went away, always posing questions and prodding for answers.

Grimsley chuckled to himself, kicking over a beer can that was laid to litter the street. He walked past the Castelia City gym, where the leader; Burgh, would probably be in his studio whizzing away at another painting. Burgh Gerald was the closest person Grimsley had to be classified as a friend in the large city. Sometimes, during the night hours, he'd venture into the cocoon and web filled rooms and make his way to the artist. They'd chat for hours, and Grimsley would use himself as inspiration for the painter. Burgh, and two others in the city were the only ones that knew what Grimsley truly was. Burgh had already sworn to him that he'd never spill that secret to anyone else, and so far; no casualties have been made. Grimsley probably would've probably killed whoever was told. He couldn't risk it.

The sudden bright flash of light in his face caused to him to shriek in terror. Covering his face with his hands, intense, searing white light bombarded him. The pain started to return to his skin, and all the vampire wanted to do was hide in the shadows again, to escape whatever light was tormenting him. As soon as the brightness appeared, it vanished. Grimsley removed his hands from his face, and blinked. In front of him was a girl, of probably about twenty with a camera between her hands. That at least explained where the flash came from.

The girl's grin turned to an expression of apology when she heard Grimsley swear in pain. "Oh, I'm so sorry sir! I didn't mean to blind you, honestly I didn't! I'll lower the flash settings on this immediately!"

"No, it's alright," Grimsley tried to wave off the apology with a nonchalant wave of his hand. "Truly, I'm fine. A little blinded, but nothing a period of recovery can't fix. Can I help you with something?"

The girl beamed once more, and perked upwards on her toes. "I'm Candice Massingale! I work for the Castelia Report, the photography and newspaper business down by Pier Dock. I'm the night reporter, and I venture out into Castelia at dusk and midnight to scope out the night life. My boss, Clay Henrick. requires at least one picture of a citizen during this time, to see what type of people come out at night."

Grimsley didn't know whether to take that as a simple statement or an insult. "Umm... that's a little rude of him to think. What makes your boss think that just because it's dark outside that different creatures roam out in the streets of Castelia City?"

Candice shrugged, placing her camera back into her knapsack. "I don't know. Mr. Henrick says that there are these rumors of some strange creature that takes to the streets at night and causes all sorts of disturbances. Back at the office, the thing is donned as the 'Creature of Dusk- A Freak Without a Human Heart'! It's quite a title, but at the same time... I see it to be demoralizing.

Grimsley's heart panged. "_That's what the people of Castelia see me as? Some freak without a human heart? I'm just as human as everyone else, but because I have to make blood my source of food, I'm now just another monster in a child's fantasy story,_" He looked at Candice. "Do you think the Creature of Dusk, or whatever you call it is a freak? Do you think it, he, or she not have a heart?"

The photographer bit her lip. "I don't know. I've never gotten close to the thing, so I can't put my own opinion on it. Technically, I am judging a book by it's cover, but even then, that metaphorical cover we have doesn't have enough information on it for us, my company, to give it a true name. I just have to follow everyone's assumptions and then one day, see it for myself. Sadly, all I'm doing is copying what the rest of society does. I'm allowing my decisions to based on someone else's reasoning and deductions, not my own."

Grimsley nodded, quite surprised by her statement. "That's... that's very honest of you to say. Most people I know don't have that sort of quality to them," he admired. He put his hand out and shook hers. "I'm Grimsley Kotchner. You, Miss Massingale... well, you're quite the individual."

Candice blushed. "Thank you sir," she smiled sweetly. Her eyes perked open even more as an idea came to her. She rummaged into her knapsack, her olive black pigtails flapping back and forth in a metronome motion behind her back. The photographer looked back up at Grimsley, a card in her hand. "Here, take this! It's my business card! You can call or email that number at the bottom if you want to talk any more. I've got people to see tonight, and I've already spent a long time chatting with you."

Grimsley took the card hesitantly, afraid if some radical burst of light would come from the paper product. He slipped it into his dress pants pocket. "I'll definitely take some consideration into calling you. Goodnight, Miss Massingale."

Candice hugged him once, and then shouldered her knapsack. "I do really have to go. I look forward to talking to you again Mr. Kotchner!" the energetic girl squealed. With that, she raced off into the night, her silhouette being the only indicator that something was just there.

Grimsley pulled the card out of his pocket and stared at it. "_What the hell am I even thinking_?" he thought, staring at her photo one last time.

Grimsley put the card pack in his pocket, and walked even farther out into the night. Throughout the rest of his walk, he could not stop thinking about Candice Massingale, and how it had to be fatalistic that they met. She was just too unforgettable for him to lose track of. It's almost as if he could sense something different about her, but could not place why.

* * *

><p>Grimsley flipped Candice's business card between his fingers, his feet propped up the table in his kitchen. A week passed, and he had yet to call her number. He was expecting the call from her, or at least a visit at his doorstep. When he turned 21, he bought a house on the secluded side of Castelia City, by the main entrance to the sewers. Not many of the citizens in the city could stand the rotting smell of sewage and moved into the thicker parts of Castelia, where they traded horrid smells for the noise pollution that was the commerce of the metropolitan below. Grimsley could stand smell, not noise. Along with the noise came all the lights that represented an growing economy. Sometimes, especially during the summer months, Grimsley would spend days, even weeks at a time, boarded in his house so the sun wouldn't burn him. Today, although it was December, the forecast said the high would be a sweltering 98, which even in the shade that the buildings of downtown Castelia gave him, would still be too hot. He had to stay indoors, in the shade at least until five in the afternoon before he could go out night crawling.<p>

"_Candice Massingale,_" Grimsley thought to himself. "_I cannot stop thinking about you. There is something in you, some sort of pulse emanating from you. It kills me to not know what is so damn special about you._"

A shadow flickered past his windowsill, the window facing his bathroom where the sun had averted it's heat. It was safe for him to go and discover what was perched by his window. Grimsley stood and walked over to the window, lifting it open. He was met face-to-face with an Eevee, the adorable fox smiling back at him with a pearly white grin. This Eevee's coat was far more valuable than the typical oak coat. It was an ashy silver, the mix between gray and white. This Eevee was a shiny, a genetic mutation that happened back when Team Rocket in Kanto fired a missile into the atmosphere to try and poison all the Pokémon in Kanto. The missile did the exact _opposite _of what was supposed to happen, and many of the creatures living in Kanto and nearby Johto were given a completely new color scheme to their typical offspring traits. Eventually, the newer species of Pokémon that were born by breeding from other Pokémon themselves adopted this trait of an opposite color palate, and soon everyone came to terms to now call these new offspring shinies.

The Eevee tilted it's head at Grimsley which a perplexed expression, confused why the vampire was licking his lips and staring at the poor creature with his beady gold eyes. Grimsley's mouth frothed at the idea of Eevee blood, a taste he hadn't experienced in quite some time; at least eight months at least. With this particular Pokémon also being shiny, well scientists deducted that their blood was actually richer in vitamins and nutrients that regular Pokémon if consumed. Grimsley paused for a second, unsure of about what he was getting himself in to. He was pretty hungry, and if food was placed right in front of him, it was hard to resist a meal. If one was as high quality as the Eevee sitting in front of him, it was nearly impossible for Grimsley to turn his head.

The fox tensed, the Eevee's glossy caramel eyes widening as if it knew something was about to happen. Grimsley, with a snarl, grabbed the poor Pokémon from the windowsill, and slammed it to the tile of his kitchen. Closing the window so the sun could be blocked a little during his meal, Grimsley turned back to the Eevee, who was now tried to scuttle away from him. He pounced, flinging his body to his hands and knees. With a ferocious grab, Grimsley snagged the Eevee in his hands. A squeal of terror emitted from the fox as it squirmed in his grasp.

Grimsley felt his fangs start to extend from their forced spot in his mouth, he felt his gold eye color shift to a edgy charcoal and lava black whenever his fangs extended. Soon his hands would turn into webbed claws, his fingernails extending to talons. His skin would turn a sick slate color. With a scream that even made his house shudder, Grimsley buried his fangs in the Eevee's neck.

An ear-splitting shriek emitted from the Pokémon, as Grimsley's fangs tore into it's neck. Grimsley ravished the smell of blood hitting his nostrils, the acrid taste sliding between his teeth and sliding down his throat. He withdrew, a gaping hole in the Eevee's neck. The fox was breathing slowly now, the Pokémon had already closed it's eyes. Grimsley went in for another bite, this time feeling some fur mix in with the tart and bitter stream of life.

He must've feasted for half an hour, and with every bite, Grimsley felt his soul rekindle into a blazing fire. Within minutes however, the poor Eevee was just a scattered mess of fur and small paw, amid the carnage that was the blood from the now deceased fox. Grimsley literally took the next ten minutes licking the tile of his kitchen, relishing every drop his tongue lapped up. He turned into a rabid dog, a feral beast.

A loud knock, followed by a too familiar voice broke through Grimsley's feast. He paused from his feeding, a small speck of blood being the only evidence left that a struggle even happened. The knock came again, followed by the voice. "Mr. Kotchner? Are you here? Grimsley, it's Candice Massingale!" the voice shouted.

Grimsley's eyes widened. Candice was outside his house, perched at his doorstep. "Um, please come back later," he pleaded, looking back at himself; seeing he was still in his state of vampirism. "I'm not really looking my best."

"Oh, don't be such a bother Grimsley! I bet you look fine!" Candice objectified. Suddenly, the door flew open, sunlight scorching in the room.

Grimsley screamed, his body being boiled alive by the harsh light. "Get away from me, Candice! I'm a monster!" To accentuate his point, he stood up and ran away from her, bounding into the shaded part of his house.

Candice, who had walked into the foyer of his house, blinked at Grimsley with a sympathetic look. "Grimsley-" she said, and trailed off; as he had vanished into the house. She ran after him, ducking under the chandelier above his dining room table. She ran into his bedroom, and found Grimsley hiding under the bed, his magma eyes peering under the curtain of darkness. "Grimsley..." she repeated, condolence filling her voice.

"Get away from me Candice! You don't want to see me like this!" Grimsley howled from underneath his bed.

"Oh don't be ridiculous Mr. Kotchner!" Candice admonished. She grabbed Grimsley's hand from behind his bedspread, and pulled out from his hiding spot. As soon as Grimsley was out from under his cover, he tried rebounding back under. Candice grabbed him by his collar. "No, Grimsley. Face me."

Grimsley stopped squirming, and he huffed. "Are you sure?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm sure. Trust me Mr. Kotchner, I've seen worse." Candice nodded. She let go of his collar.

Grimsley bit his lip, his fangs slicing the skin. He turned around quickly, and faced Candice. The expression he received was not what he expected. His skin was still gray, his talons were slightly receding, but still visible. His eyes still glowed charcoal, his fangs still protruding from his mouth. "Ta-da! It's me!" he revealed himself, sarcasm dripping off his words.

Candice's eyes lit up, her hand covering her mouth. After dropping her hand to her side, she grabbed Grimsley by the shoulders. "You're beautiful Grimsley. That's not something to hide."

He blinked, unsure of what the hell was just said to him. "Excuse me? I'm... I'm beautiful?"

She nodded, tears brimming at her eyes. "Yes. In a horrifying sort of way, but you are beautiful nonetheless." She hugged him, the rest of Grimsley's body changing back to normal.

Grimsley wrapped his arms around her, equally matching her embrace. As he set his head on her shoulders, he heard a loud THUMP! He froze, and then heard the sound again. He heard it pulsate around his ears, and echo deep inside his brain. "Candice?"

"Yeah, Grimsley?"

"What's that sound?" he asked.

Candice detached herself from the hug, confusion spreading across her face. "What sound?"

"It's coming from your back, when I rest my head on your shoulders. I don't know what it is, but it's driving me crazy. It's still beating inside my head. What is that sound?" Grimsley explained.

Candice blinked, and looked down at her body. "Are you talking about my heartbeat Grimsley?"

"What's a heartbeat?"

"A pulse that comes from my heart. We all have one located right here," she said, putting a hand over her heart. "It's an organ that pumps blood, and without it, humans like you and I wouldn't be alive."

Grimsley put his hand where Candice had put hers. "I... There's nothing there. I don't have a 'heartbeat', or whatever you call it."

"You... you don't feel a heartbeat?" Candice asked concerned, placing her head next to Grimsley's chest. Instead of a slight drumming where everyone else's hearts would be, was an empty silence. There was no rising off the stomach indicating lungs. Grimsley, due to being a vampire didn't have the essential organs regular humans have.

"I guess not." Grimsley answered, not sure of what answer to give her.

"Why don't you?" Candice wondered.

Grimsley swallowed. "I guess I have to explain. Why don't we sit in the dining room? This will require quite the conversation. I hope you have a few hours."

* * *

><p>"So, let me get this straight. You're a vampire, you've been once since birth. You can only feast on blood only, and normally this blood comes from Pokémon. On occasion, you'll drink the blood of a human. Regular food like steak, or chicken can be toxic to you, for your digestive system is not designed like humans. You are not allowed to be exposed to any dramatic setting of light, the strongest you can really be exposed to is like a candle, or you can catch on fire. When you get into a state of hunger, your body transforms. Your fangs appear, your eyes turn putrid red, talons grow from your fingers, and your skin turns slate. Did I miss anything?" Candice rehashed, leaning back from her chair at Grimsley's dining room table.<p>

"One thing," Grimsley noted. "I don't have a heart, or an heartbeat. The blood I feast on keeps me alive. If I don't feed every five-nine hours, my body begins to deteriorate, and I'll crumble up like a wad of paper mache."

Candice nodded. "That's quite... challenging to life your life like that, isn't it?"

Grimsley sunk deeper into his chair. "Yes, it's not the greatest thing ever. I'm truly only allowed to roam at night, or I'll be burned to death. I can only feast in privacy, or risk being exposed to the public. The last thing this city needs is a vampire on the loose, running around and killing people."

"So, you're the shadow monster my photography business calls as the 'Creature of Dusk'?" Candice inquired.

Grimsley winced. "Thanks for the reminder Candice. But, yes, I am. My night travels have been seen several times, but I make sure my face is obscured from view."

"I still think your beautiful." Candice commented.

"You're just saying that." Grimsley shrugged off the compliment.

"I'm serious-"

"No need," Grimsley said sharply, cutting her off. "All I want now is a heartbeat of yours."

"You need a heart," Candice reminded him. "I don't think it's possible to get one inside of you, since your body does not function like mine."

"You're right." Grimsley agreed, staring down at his feet.

Candice stood, and made her way to Grimsley. He looked up at her, and got the first true glimpse of her eyes. Two sparkling, glacier diamonds stared into his own. He opened his mouth to speak when Candice lowered herself to his level. Grabbing his face in her hands, she pulled him into a kiss. Just as quick as she kissed him, she let go.

Grimsley was speechless. His mouth widened to speak when he felt a slight drumming in his chest. "What's that sound?"

"A heartbeat." Candice said.

"Is it coming from you?" Grimsley asked.

"I think I know where that beat is coming from." she dissented, nodding at him.

Grimsley blinked then looked down at his chest. Gingerly, he placed a hand over where Candice said a human's heart should be. He rested his hand against his chest, a smile forming at his lips.

Deep inside his chest, he heard it.

He heard the roaring sound of a heartbeat.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you liked it! If you could, please leave a review and tell me what you thought! It'll truly mean the world to me. My regular posting will resume this weekend, for I am soon to be on my winter break. I love you all!<strong>

**~ Paradigm**


End file.
